RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In an upward trend, demand for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for treatment of Covid-19 has grown over the past week, and occupancy reached 100% in three state capitals on Monday, May 31.
Curitiba (PR), Campo Grande (MS), and Aracaju (SE) are experiencing the collapse of their public health system, with bed occupancies equal to or higher than 100% and registering lines of patients infected with the coronavirus waiting for an intensive care unit spot.
There are 10 capitals with over 90% bed occupancy, and over 95% of available beds are occupied in 8 of them. In most cases, available beds are newly vacant and are still being prepared to take new patients. Capital cities in critical scenarios are found in all 5 regions of the country.
Among the Midwest states, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso area of greatest concern, but there is also an upward trend in demand for beds in Goiás.
Despite being the state with the highest vaccination rate in the country, with 29% of the population being administered the first dose, Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) has overcrowded hospitals and has created makeshift vacancies, reaching 105% of ICU occupancy.
According to Health Secretary Geraldo Resende, the critical picture results from crowds, illegal parties, and the fact that part of the population has stopped wearing masks. “Unfortunately, we are the state where there is least cooperation from people,” he said.
Facing this scenario, mayors from over 60 cities in Mato Grosso do Sul are considering the implementation of tougher measures to fight the pandemic during the Corpus Christi holiday beginning June 3, such as a curfew between 8 PM and 5 AM, health barriers, banning the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public areas and suspending the operation of intercity buses.
In the capital Campo Grande, hospitals are crowded, and there are more patients in ICUs than available beds, causing occupancy to reach 101%. 124 people are waiting in line.
In Mato Grosso, the percentage of occupied beds rose from 87% to 95%. In the capital Cuiabá, although no people are waiting in line for beds, occupancy reached 97%. According to the state government’s report, 25 cities register a very high-risk classification for coronavirus infection and 116 cities a high risk. No city was classified as moderate or low risk.
Goiás has also sounded the alarm: the occupancy rate rose from 85% to 89% last week, despite more beds.
The occupancy rate dropped slightly in relation to last week in the Federal District – from 95% to 84%. However, the total has oscillated. The volume is calculated based on the number of beds in operation at the moment.
Despite this critical scenario, Mato Grosso, Goiás, and the Federal District were chosen to host Copa America soccer matches, which should be held this month, starting June 13.
In Brazil’s southern region, Curitiba is the capital under the greatest pressure for beds in recent weeks. Less than two months after relaxing circulation rules, on Saturday, May 29, the capital of Paraná reverted to red flag status, allowing the operation of essential services only.
Most businesses can serve customers only through delivery and takeout. On Tuesday, June 1, there were protests from entrepreneurs against the measure.
With 104% of ICUs occupied, the city hall turned Emergency Care Units into Covid-19 inpatient units. There are 214 patients on the waiting list. Statewide, the rate has reached 95%, with almost 700 patients waiting for an ICU.
Despite the restrictions and the critical scenario, on Monday, May 31, the Federal Highway Police held an event to inaugurate its new superintendent with hugs and greetings and the attendance of vice-governor Darci Piana (PSD) and federal Minister of Justice and Public Safety Anderson Torres. The PRF said that the ceremony was closed to the general public and that only 15% of the space for 250 people was occupied.
The hospital bed occupancy situation is also serious in most capitals of Brazil’s Northeastern state capitals, particularly in Aracaju, Recife, Natal, São Luís, and Fortaleza, all with ICU bed occupancy over 90%.
The pressure for beds is a concern for local authorities, mainly because the second half of June is marked by traditional folklore festivities, called “festas Juninas”. Despite the ban on parties and events, the states in the region registered a peak of cases last year after the holiday period.
In Aracaju, 100% of the 116 public ICUs were full on Monday. Both the capital and the state of Sergipe have been in a critical situation since the end of April. Health units with a waiting list have increased in inland and coastal cities and now include even CAPS (Psychosocial Care Center).
There was also an increase in bed occupancy in the state of Maranhão, which rose from 75% to 83%, particularly in Grande Ilha, which includes the capital. In São LuÌs, occupied beds for critically ill patients rose from 95% to 98%.
Maranhão was the first state to register cases of the Indian (Delta) variant of the coronavirus. To prevent local transmission, potential infections are being monitored, and immunization is being reinforced, and the Ministry of Health has sent about 300,000 extra vaccine doses.
In Pernambuco, the situation remains critical. The state has 98% of its ICU beds for Covid-19 occupied. There are 1,691 critically ill patients in intensive care. This is the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
The pandemic scenario has also worsened in Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará. The ICU occupancy rate in the city’s public hospitals jumped from 89% to 94% in one week.
In Rio Grande do Norte, the bed occupancy rate reached 98%, with 6 available beds and 91 people waiting for an ICU place – the count does not consider blocked beds, which cannot be used. In Greater Natal, the capital’s metropolitan region, the occupancy rate also reached 98%.
The Northeastern states of Bahia, Piauí, Paraíba, and Alagoas have not yet reached 90% occupancy of beds for critically ill patients but are still upward.
Alagoas showed marked deterioration. After three months with an ICU occupancy rate below 90%, the rate on Monday reached 92%.
Among the capitals in the Southeast region, Rio de Janeiro faces the worst scenario, with ICU occupancy above 90% for the last 3 months, reaching 95% on Monday. Despite this, Mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD) has released samba circle performances, reduced the required space between tables, and abolished the time limit for live music establishments.
In the city of São Paulo, the situation is also on alert: 81% of beds for critically ill patients are occupied. The capital has 1,371 ICU beds and 1,321 ward beds for Covid-19.
Currently, 6 hospitals in São Paulo are operating with an occupancy rate of 100%. Over the past few days, the municipality received 347 ventilators and 250 monitors, which will enable expansion to create another 250 ICU beds.